Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Although preschool to third grade (P-3) programs have a long history dating to Project Follow Through and the Child-Parent Centers (CPC) in the mid 1960s, interest has grown dramatically in recent years as states have established initiatives to align preschool with K-12 education. The CPC program has shown long-term effects on health and well-being because of the strong emphasis on enhancing school readiness and achievement, parent involvement and the school-family partnership. The effects of the program have been documented in many longitudinal studies and cost-benefit analyses. This paper describes the history and accumulated research on the impacts of the program and how early school and family contexts shape later health and well-being.

It is expected that the provision of additional educational and family support services during the school transition will accelerate learning and lessen the possibility of a drop-off of effects of earlier preschool participation. As the original, most established, and evidence-based P-3 program, the history, results and significance of CPC P-3 will covered with key findings and implications for policy.

 Three phases of the program are described: initial development and implementation, expansion and pull back, and then further expansion as part of a U. S. Department of Education project. CPC P-3 is a school reform model that has 6 core elements: collaborative leadership, effective learning experiences, parent involvement, continuity and stability, aligned curriculum, and professional development. Fidelity of implementation for each of these factors is summarized as potential links of implementation measures with short-term outcomes are discussed. Findings and implications for P-3 policies are described for reducing achievement gaps and promoting health equity.